Support

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to the field of firearms, and in particular to a bipod for supporting a firearm, particularly high-calibre weapons. A bipod for supporting a bipod for supporting a firearm having a barrel, the bipod comprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respective opposing ends of a yoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions, an elongate support member extending rearwardly of the yoke, and attachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm in which the elongate support member is fixed to the yoke, and the attachment means is pivotally mounted on the elongate support number to permit canting of the firearm about a longitudinal axis.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of firearms, and in particular to abipod for supporting a firearm.

BACKGROUND

Bipods are often used by shooters to stably support the front-end offirearms, such as rifles, machine guns and air weapons to improveaccuracy. Early bipods were formed from wire. Subsequent bipod designsusually comprise tubular legs depending from a body fixed to theunderside of a firearm by a clamp typically clamping on a sling swivel.The Harris (trade mark) bipod originally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.3,327,422, which includes spring-loaded telescopic legs depending from anarrow base body clamped to a quick detach stud fixed to the firearm andwhich can be deployed from a horizontal folded position to extenddownwardly in a firing position, has been commercially successful formany years. Subsequent bipod designs, including those disclosed in USpatent publications U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,614,174; 4,625,620; and 9,581,403have included various refinements including means for absorbing therecoil of a rifle; means to allow for pivoting the firearm aboutvertical (panning) and/or horizontal (canting) axes to adjust the aimingpoint; and means for facilitating deployment of the bipod legs from afolded position.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,255,751 discloses a detachable bipod having a two partbody, including an upper rifle engaging portion and arotatably-connected lower portion which pivots about a vertical axisrunning through the point of attachment to a rifle, in the plane of thelegs, permitting limited panning of the rifle. Panning of the rifle isinhibited by the design of the lower portion to about 15 degrees to theleft or right.

Certain current bipod designs permit legs to be rotated, or folded, intoa horizontal folded position either extending forwardly or rearwardly ofthe firearm. In the bipods of the Harris design, the legs are foldedforwardly. Bipod legs may be fixed in different downward positionstypically about 45°, or about 90° from the horizontal, allowing thefirearm to be raised or lowered without having to extend telescopiclegs. A problem with some bipod designs is that a leg may beinadvertently folded, for example if it accidentally contacts vegetationor the ground around the firing position, requiring resetting which canlose a shooting opportunity.

Some bipods are fitted as standard to firearms i.e fitted to the firearmas sold. Other bipods may be clamped e.g. to a quick release swivel studor to an accessory rail (such as a Picatinny, Weaver or other rail) ormagnetically attached as described in GB2504680.

Bipod requirements vary. A bipod for a relatively recoil-freepre-charged air weapon can be of relatively light construction. On theother hand, military shooters, especially snipers, use high calibreweapons (typically, .308-.50 calibres) often using a more sturdy bipodfor support and long range accuracy. Such military shooters haveparticular requirements for robust, stable and functional bipodsupports.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved biped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a bipod forsupporting a biped for supporting a firearm having a barrel, the bipodcomprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respective opposing ends of ayoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions, anelongate support member extending rearwardly of the yoke, and attachmentmeans for attaching the bipod to the firearm in which the elongatesupport member is fixed to the yoke, and the attachment means ispivotally mounted on the elongate support number to permit canting ofthe firearm about a longitudinal axis.

In a preferred embodiment, the legs are independently movable betweenfolded, intermediate, and firing positions. Each leg may be retained inany of a forward-extending or rearward-extending horizontal position oran upright, downward or intermediate position.

The elongate support member may include a shaft.

The yoke may have a curved, preferably upwardly curved, profile. Theyoke may be of unitary construction.

The bipod may include retaining means at either end of the yoke forretaining a leg in a horizontal, intermediate, upright, or downwardposition. This is especially advantageous in the tactical typeenvironment, for example, being able to position the legs forward ataround 45 degrees, to provide better support, when a user is shootingdownwards (such as from the high window of a building to the groundbelow). By rotating and locking the legs forwards or rearwards, the usermay be able to get lower, such as when shooting through floor level‘loop holes’, air holes, drainage gaps etc.

The retaining means may be operated by a user to release a leg from aparticular position allowing it to rotate. One suitable retaining meansincludes a slidable plate, which in a retained condition, engagesindexing means mounted to or integral with the yoke, and in a releasedcondition disengages the indexing means allowing leg rotation. Theslidable plate may include one portion shaped to engage the indexingmeans in a retained condition, which portion is disengaged from theindexing means when the retaining means is in a released condition. Forexample, the portion may include at least one regular side shaped toengage a corresponding side provided by the indexing means. In oneembodiment, the portion has six or more, preferably eight, regularsides. For example the portion may be hexagonal or octagonal. This meansthat the leg sections may rotate, indexing at for example eightpositions, and can be positively locked into each of these positions.The leg sections may rotate through 360° indexing at eight positions.

Preferably the retaining means is operated into a retained condition byrearward (i.e towards the rear of the firearm or towards the shooter)movement of an element—such as the above slidable plate. Alternatively,the element may move forwardly. As the slidable plate extendsrearwardly, accidental contact of a bipod with deployed legs (forexample with vegetation in front of the firearm) when moving to ashooting position leaves the legs retained in a firing position ratherthan causing them to rotate and fold inadvertently lowering the firearm.

The bipod may attach by virtue of the attachment means to an accessorymounting rail integral with or attached to the firearm. The accessoryrail may, for example, be one of the Picatinny (or MIL-STD-1913),Weaver, or NATO Accessory Rail types. The accessory mounting rail may beon a lower portion of the firearm. Alternatively, or additionally, theaccessory mounting rail is on an upper portion of the firearm.Accordingly, the bipod of the invention may attach above or below thebarrel of the firearm. In one embodiment, the attachment means is ableto fix the bipod below or above the firearm. When the bipod is attachedabove the barrel, the firearm can be suspended below the yoke andbetween the legs of the bipod, to provide a stable shooting platformsuitable for certain shooting situations where it is advantageous tohave the weight of the rifle as low as possible.

The attachment means may comprise an upper and lower accessoryrail/adapter component/other component-engaging element. For example anupper element may be arranged to engage an accessory rail (e.g.Picatinny or other standard rail) and a lower element may be arranged toengage an adapter component which can be used to connect the bipod toanother device such as a tripod. The upper and lower elements may be thesame or different. In a preferred embodiment, the attachment means maybe rotated or otherwise translated so that the upper element becomes alower element, and the lower element becomes an upper element.

The advantages to the user for under-hanging the firearm from the bipodinclude creating a lower profile for the rifle and user behind thefirearm. In the tactical environment this helps to reduce thepossibility of detection by hostile observers. It also aids stability offirearms by lowering the centre of gravity. This can be relevant whenthe rifle is ‘top heavy’ with accessories typically used in the tacticalarena (such as scopes, night vision devices, laser rangefinders/designators, amp units, thermal Imaging cameras/sights). The‘underhung’ or “underslung” configuration may also aid the speed inwhich the firearm and scope can be leveled for use, and for follow upshots by enabling the firearm to pivot naturally to a neutral position,in a pendulum type fashion.

The yoke may space the legs apart such that a line upwardly extendingthe longitudinal axis of each leg would meet above the firearm,preferably significantly above the longitudinal axis of the barrel ofthe firearm. The dimensions would vary depending upon the type of rifle,& rail location in relation to the barrel. Typically, lines extendingupwardly along each leg in this manner would meet somewhere betweenabout 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) to 6.4 cm (2.5 inches) above the longitudinalaxis of the barrel (when the rifle is conventionally top mounted, andmore if underslung from the bipod). Such a configuration provides aparticularly stable shooting platform for military firearms compared tobipod designs in which the legs depend from a narrow bipod base fixedbelow the rifle. The legs of the bipod are preferably removable so thatthey can be replaced by alternative legs.

Preferably the legs are extendable. For example, the leg sections may betelescopic. In a preferred embodiment, the leg sections are telescopicand may be rapidly extended or retracted. For example, a leg may includea user-operated clamp which can be released to extend or contract a legor deployed to fix a leg section in position.

The lower leg sections may have replaceable feet. For example, metalspikes for added grip. Such boots may be covered by flexible boots innormal use until required.

The bipod may feature, extending rearwardly of the yoke, vertical pivotmeans allowing the bipod to pivot about a vertical axis rearward of thelegs, and attachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm,extending rearwardly of the elongate support member and cooperating withthe vertical pivot means to allow the pivoting of the bipod. Pivoting ofthe bipod about a vertical axis (in effect lengthwise folding of thebipod) allows effective panning of an attached firearm over widerpanning angle than conventional designs. Having the pivot point spacedbehind (typically 1-10 cm behind) the legs of the bipod provides aparticularly stable shooting platform. A feature of this aspect of theinvention is that greater panning angles (i.e 20 or more degrees ineither direction) may be achieved.

The bipod may include user operated means for at least partiallyinhibiting pivoting of the bipod about the vertical axis i.e to controlthe extent of panning of the attached firearm. For example, relativemovement of the vertical pivot means may be constrained. In oneembodiment, one part of the pivot mechanism provides an element whichtracks within an elongate recess defined by another part of the pivotmechanism when the two parts of the pivot mechanism pivot about eachother, the element being stopped by contact with either end of therecess.

The attachment means is capable of being pivoted about a horizontal axisto allow canting of the firearm out of or into an upright condition, forexample, when shooting across a sideways sloping firing position.Pivoting of the attachment means about the horizontal axis (orconversely pivoting of the yoke) may be partially or completelyinhibited. For example, locking means may be provided for locking theattachment means in a fixed position, or released to allow theattachment means to pivot about the horizontal axis. The locking meansmay be provided on the left or right hand side of the bipod. In oneembodiment the locking means is mounted on the attachment means andincludes a locking lever. Such a locking lever may be arranged to befitted to the left or right hand side of the attachment means, accordingto the handedness of the user. Being behind the yoke, the lever can beconveniently operated by a user.

The vertical pivot means is preferably at the rearward end of theelongate support member. The vertical pivot means may be provided byadjacent elements, integral or fixed to the elongate support member andattachment means, which are pivotally interconnected so as to allow thepivoting about a vertical axis. The adjacent elements may besubstantially disc-shaped. The bipod may include means for limiting thepivoting about a vertical axis in one or either direction.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a bipodfor supporting a firearm in use, the bipod comprising two legs which arereadily detachable (e.g. without the use of tools) so they can bereadily replaced by alternative legs or poles. For example the legs canbe unscrewed, and fixed length legs replaced by medium length telescopiclegs, or trekking poles or shooting sticks for shooting from a standingposition. The bipod may be a biped according to a previous aspect of theinvention.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided thecombination of a biped according to any preceding aspect of theinvention and a firearm attached to the bipod.

It is also contemplated that a bipod in accordance with the inventionmay be integrated with the firearm—i.e. not readily detachable ordetachable only with tools.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A bipod in accordance with the invention will now be described, by wayof example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 to15, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, from above and one side, of a bipod inaccordance with the invention fitted to an accessory rail of a firearm;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from below and one side of the biped ofFIG. 1 fitted to an accessory rail of a firearm;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view through the bipedof FIG. 1 and accessory rail;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a portion of the bipod of FIG. 1 showingthe support member, attachment means, and vertical pivot mechanismmeans;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view illustrating the attachment means of thebiped of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view illustrating the leg retaining means of thebiped of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the biped of FIG. 1 with legsretained in an intermediate position;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the biped of FIG. 1 with legsretained in a rearward folded position;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a biped of FIG. 1 supporting afirearm by means of attachment to an upper accessory rail;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative biped in accordance withthe invention, with lower leg portions not shown;

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of the attachment means of the bipod of FIG.10;

FIG. 12 is an elevation of the bipod of FIG. 10 in use supporting arifle;

FIG. 13 is a detail view from below of the biped of FIG. 10 showing theattachment means;

FIG. 14 shows the bipod of FIG. 10 in use acting as an intermediatesupport between a firearm and a tripod; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view from the front of the bipod of FIG. 10showing the lower leg portions.

DESCRIPTION

It should be noted that in some of the accompanying drawings, certainfixing elements, such as bolts and screws; as well as springs and otherstandard components are omitted, or shown in a detached condition (e.g.as in FIG. 5) for clarity.

In this specification, references to orientations such as forward,vertical, horizontal, upright or downward will be understood by theskilled addressee to relate to a user and a firearm in normal usage.

In this specification, “bipods” may include devices having more than twolegs, for example tripods or quadrapods.

Bipod Attached to Lower Accessory Rail

A bipod 10 in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 1.

The bipod 10, which comprises an upwardly curved yoke 11 supportingfixed length legs 12, 13, is fitted to a firearm such as a rifle (notshown) by means of clamp 14 which clamps to an accessory rail 16. Inthis case the clamp 14 is fixed to a Picatinny rail, previously fixed onthe lower surface of the fore-end of the rifle. The clamp 14 a to bedesigned to fit to other weapon interfaces such as Key-Mod, M-Lock etc.

Although the bipod 10 is described as being attached to an accessoryrail directly by use of a suitable adapter components, the bipod may beconnected magnetically to a fitting fixed to the rifle as described forexample in GB 2504680. This also permits the substitution of the bipodof the present invention with another support such as a tripod, bipod ormonopod designed or adapted to be used with such a magnetic connection.

The clamp 14 is mounted on a plate 15 which has a generally disc-shapedshaped portion 15 A at its forward end, which defines a central axialaperture 16. Plate 15 overlies a correspondingly shaped element 17,mounted for rotation around a longitudinal horizontal axis on supportmember 18 which extends rearwardly from the yoke 11. In the embodimentshown, the support member 18 is integral with the yoke 11. Plate 15 andelement 17 are pivotally interconnected by a screw (not shown in FIG. 1)so that they can pivot mutually around a vertical axis passing throughtheir respective centres as described in detail below.

In FIG. 1, the legs 12 and 13 are shown retained in an upright,generally vertical firing position.

As shown particularly in FIG. 3 the elongate support member 18 supportselement 17 for rotation around a horizontal axis. A locking lever 20(one example of locking means) is threadably mounted at the rear of thesupport member 18, and is arranged to clamp (when in a locked condition)element 17 against support member 18 to prevent rotation about thehorizontal axis i.e. in use to maintain the firearm in a set verticalposition. Alternatively when the locking lever 20 is in an unlockedcondition, element 17 is free to rotate about the horizontal axis i.e.to allow the firearm to be canted from, or to, the vertical.

Advantageously, lever 20 can be mounted so as to be operated from eitherthe left or right hand sides to control cant of the rifle forleft-handed or right-handed operators as the case may be. This is moreconvenient in terms of operation than a bottom mounted locking mechanismwhich is in practice obscured to a shooter in a shooting position.

Element 17 has an upper portion 17A at its rearward end which isgenerally disc-shaped, and defines a central axial aperture 22, and anarcuate recess 24. In the assembled bipod, disc-shaped portion 15A ofplate 15 overlies the upper portion 17A of element 17 so that apertures16 and 22 are coaxial. A fixing element such as a bolt or screw passesthrough apertures 16 and 22 interconnecting plate 15 and element 17allowing mutual rotation about a vertical axis. A pin 26 shownparticularly in FIG. 3 is received in arcuate recess 24, so as to limitrotation of plate 15 about the vertical axis when it contacts the end ofthe recess in either direction. In use, this restricts panning of afirearm mounted on the bipod.

A substantially disc-shaped cover plate 27 is shaped to fit acorresponding recess defined by disc-shaped portion 15A of plate 15. Inthe embodiment described, cover plate 27 is held against disc-shapedportion 15A by magnets which are obscured in FIG. 4. Alternatively,cover plate 27 could be held in place by alternative fixing means suchas one or more bolts or screws. Cover plate 27 has a number offunctions. The cover plate 27 protects the pivoting components belowfrom dust and dirt. Furthermore, the cover plate also provides a usefulpromotional surface which can be engraved or embossed with, for example,the firearm manufacturer's trade mark, such that different plates can beused for use with firearms from different manufacturers.

As shown particularly in FIG. 3, clamp 14 is securely fixed to plate 15by means of a bolt 28 inserted through axial aperture 30 defined byclamp 14 into a further axial aperture 32 defined by plate 15.

Clamp 14 comprises plates 34 and 36 which securely clamp, by means offixing elements such as bolts 38, 39, onto accessory rail 16.Longitudinal movement of the bipod is prevented by transverse clamp ribs40, 41 which fit securely into corresponding transverse slots 42, 43provided as standard by accessory rail 16.

As shown in more detail in FIG. 6, leg 13 is rotatably mounted formovement through 360° on one end of elongate curved yoke 11 by aretaining mechanism 50. Leg 12 is rotatably mounted on the other end ofthe yoke 11 by a corresponding mechanism 52. Mechanism 50 only is nowdescribed in more detail, but mechanism 52 works in the same way. Acentral polygonal indexing stud 54 is formed integral with yoke 11 andhas a number of indexing faces (preferably eight) about itscircumference e.g. 56. A release button 58 is provided with a centralaperture 68 which is shaped to engage opposing indexing faces of stud54. The corresponding retaining mechanism 52 includes a release button60. Release button 58 is arranged to run in slot 62 defined by end 64 ofleg 13, against a spring (not shown). Leg end 64 is rotatably fixed toyoke 11 by means of a fixing element such as a bolt (not shown) whichpasses through central aperture 68 in release button 58 and engages acentral recess 66 defined by indexing stud 54. A cover plate 70 protectsthe retaining mechanism 50. In use, leg 13 can be moved betweenforward-extending and rearward-extending folded positions by movingrelease button 58 away from the user (i.e. in a forward direction) sothat the central aperture 68 no longer engages opposing indexing facesof stud 54. Release of the release button 58 re-engages opposingindexing faces of stud 54 holding the leg securely in one of a number ofa folded or intermediate positions.

Having a rearward-facing release button 58 is advantageous in that it isunlikely to be operated accidentally, for example through contact withundergrowth when a shooter is moving forward which would result in aninadvertent movement of leg 13. However, the release button may belocated in any orientation to suit your user requirements e.g. upward,downward, forward or in between.

In the embodiment described, with the multi-faced polygonal indexingstud shown, each leg can be moved through 360° and retained between anumber of positions. FIGS. 1-3; and 5, 6 show the legs in a vertical orupright firing position. FIG. 7 shows the legs 12, 13 in aforward-extending intermediate firing position. A rearward-extendingintermediate firing position is also possible with the bipod of thepresent invention. Either such intermediate firing position is used toquickly lower the firearm without having to operate telescopicallyextending legs. FIG. 8 shows the legs 12, 13 retained in arearward-extending folded position. FIG. 9 shows the legs completelyrotated from a normal downward position.

It should be noted that the retaining mechanism described above securelyretains the legs in each position providing a particularly stable firingplatform especially for high calibre weapons.

Bipod Attached to Upper Accessory Rail

As shown in FIG. 9, the bipod of the invention can be used to support afirearm by inverting the claim and fixing the clamp to an upperaccessory rail of the firearm and suspending the firearm below. As shownin FIG. 9, bipod 10 is fitted with alternative longer telescopic legs80, 82, and supports firearm 84 by clamping to an upper accessory rail86. It will be seen in FIG. 9 that the legs 80, 82 have been rotatedabout yoke 11 into a downward position so that for example releasebutton 58 extends rearwardly. Such a configuration can provide analternative stable shooting platform.

Alternative Bipod

An alternative bipod 100 in accordance with the invention is shown inFIGS. 10 to 15. The bipod 100 is generally similar to the bipod 10 ofFIG. 1, save for not featuring means for pivoting about a vertical axis.

The bipod 100 comprises an upwardly curved yoke 101 supporting variablelength legs 102, and 103 respectively. Each leg 102, 103 has a ribbedupper portion 102U, and 103U respectively formed from a light alloy.Clamp bodies 102C and 103C are arranged to move up and down the upperportions 102U and 103U respectively by depressing a lever 102L and 103L(obscured in FIG. 10) against a biasing spring (not shown). Releasinglever 102L or 103L causes it to engage with the respective upper legportion 102U or 1030 preventing further movement of the clamp bodies102C or 103C. The bipod 100 is fitted to a firearm such as a militaryrifle 105 by means of a clamp 104 which engages an accessory rail 106 onthe lower surface of the forestock of the rifle 105 to support the rifleconventionally above the bipod as shown in FIG. 12.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the body of the clamp 104, whichforms the attachment means, is pivotally mounted on shaft of bolt 110but lockable in one upward facing position. The clamp 104 includes anupper dovetail track 108 which is shaped to receive and securely fit theaccessory rail 106 of a rifle. The track 108 includes retainingprojections e.g. 112. Although a dovetail track 108 is described, otherconfigurations are possible depending on the accessory rail of the rifleto be fitted. For example, the clamp 104 may include a track or similarto receive a Key-Mod Mod or M-Lok accessory rail on a rifle. A sidelever 114 is operable to permit rotation of the body 104 about the shaft110 i.e. to permit canting of an attached rifle from side to side or toretain the rifle in a canted position or upright position. The sidelever 114 may be mounted on either side of the clamp body 104 accordingto the handedness of the user. The clamp 104 also includes a lower“male” accessory rail 116 which is capable of receiving furtheraccessories. The features 114 and 116 may be the same or different. Asshown in FIG. 14, the accessory rail 116 may receive an adaptercomponent 118 for receiving a magnetic spigot 119 mounted on a tripod120 in the general manner described for example in GB 2504680. In thisconfiguration, the legs 102 and 103 are folded to a horizontal, forwardfacing, position in which they do not in hinder operation of the rifle.

It should be noted that, when released, the clamp body 104 is free torotate through 180° about the shaft 110 so that the upper dovetailedtrack 108 and lower accessory rail 116 are reversed in position. Thismay be particularly convenient in that in practice, a user can choosebetween the type of upper and lower accessory rail according to theapplication. This rotation of the clamp body also makes it possible tounderhang a rifle below the bipod so that the body engages an upperaccessory rail on the rifle generally as described in relation to theFIG. 1 embodiment in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 15, the legs 102 and 103 also comprise lower portions1028 and 103B respectively. The lower leg portions 102E and 103B aremade principally of carbon fibre. The legs 102 and 103 terminate inspiked feet 102F and 103F which are obscured in normal use by rubberboots.

By operating the levers 102L and 103L, the lower leg portions 102B and103B can be quickly moved to extend or reduce the length of the legsaccording to user requirements.

Legs 102 and 103 fit into retaining mechanisms 122 and 123. Theretaining mechanisms are similar to retaining mechanisms 52 and 53described in relation to the FIG. 1 embodiment. The legs 102 and 103 aredetachable from the corresponding retaining mechanisms 122 and 123, andmay be replaced by other leg units. For example, they may be replaced bytrekking poles arranged to fit into the retaining mechanisms 122 and123. Those retaining mechanisms 122 and 123 include release buttons 124and 125 which in form and operation correspond to the release buttons 58and 60 described in relation to the FIG. 1 embodiment. In particular,both release buttons 124,125 include a central aperture which has amulti-sided portion shaped to engage opposing indexing faces of amulti-sided stud when a release button is released holding therespective leg securely in a number of folded or intermediate positionsgenerally as described in relation to the FIG. 1 embodiment. When arelease button 124, 125 is depressed, the multi-sided portion of thecentral aperture is disengaged from the opposing indexing faces of thestud so that the corresponding leg 102, 103 can be freely rotated. Inthis manner, the legs 102 and 103 can be moved into vertical, horizontalforward and horizontal rearward and intermediate forward and rearwardpositions.

Although two embodiments of a bipod in accordance with the inventionhave been described above, the skilled addressee will appreciate thatnumerous modifications can be made, or alternatives employed to thisembodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention set out inthe claims.

1. A bipod for supporting a bipod for supporting a firearm having abarrel, the bipod comprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respectiveopposing ends of a yoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, andfiring positions, an elongate support member extending rearwardly of theyoke, and attachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm inwhich the elongate support member is fixed to the yoke, wherein theattachment means is pivotally mounted on the elongate support number topermit canting of the firearm about a longitudinal axis.
 2. A bipodaccording claim 1 in which the legs are independently movable betweenfolded, intermediate, and firing positions and can be retained inpositions selected from any of an upright, forward-extending, orrearward-extending horizontal position.
 3. A bipod according to claim 1,in which the elongate support member includes a shaft about which theattachment means can pivot.
 4. A bipod according to claim 1, in whichthe yoke has a curved profile.
 5. A bipod according to claim 4, in whichthe yoke is of unitary construction.
 6. A bipod according to claim 1, inwhich each leg may be rotated through 360° on the respective side of thebipod.
 7. A bipod according to claim 6, in which the retaining means,controlling leg movement are operated by a user from the rear of thebipod.
 8. A bipod according to claim 7, in which the retaining means areoperated by means of a button located at a rearward facing portion ofthe bipod.
 9. A bipod according to claim 8, in which the retaining meanscan be operated to release a leg from a horizontal, intermediate orupright position.
 10. A bipod according to claim 9, in which theretaining means includes a slidable element, which in a retainedcondition engages indexing means mounted to or integral with the yoke,and, in a released condition, disengages the indexing means allowingrotation of an associated leg.
 11. A bipod according to claim 10, and inwhich the retaining means is in the form of a slidable plate, in whichthe slidable plate includes at least one portion shaped to engage theindexing means in a retained condition, which at least one said portionis disengaged from the indexing means when the retaining means is in areleased condition.
 12. A bipod according to claim 11, in which the saidportion includes at least one regular side, shaped to engage acorresponding regular side provided by the indexing means.
 13. A bipodaccording to claim 1, which attaches to an accessory mounting rail of,or attached to, the firearm.
 14. A bipod according to claim 13, in whichthe accessory mounting rail is on a lower portion of the firearm belowthe barrel whereby the firearm is supported from below by the bipod orin which the accessory mounting rail is on an upper portion of thefirearm above the barrel whereby the firearm is suspended below the yokeand between the legs of the bipod.
 15. A bipod according to claim 1,which is able to pivot about a vertical axis to permit the supportedrifle to pan at least 20 degrees in either side to side direction.
 16. Abipod according to claim 15, in which pivoting of the yoke about thelongitudinal axis can be partially or completely inhibited.
 17. A bipodaccording to claim 16, in which the pivoting of the yoke about thelongitudinal axis can be controlled by locking means, preferablyincluding a lever, arranged to extend leftward or rightward of thebipod.
 18. A bipod according to claim 1, in which the yoke spaces thelegs apart such that a line extending the longitudinal axis of each legwould meet above a firearm supported by the bipod.
 19. A bipod forsupporting a bipod for supporting a firearm having a barrel, the bipodcomprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respective opposing ends of ayoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions, anelongate support member extending rearwardly of the yoke, and attachmentmeans for attaching the bipod to the firearm in which the elongatesupport member is fixed to the yoke, wherein the attachment means ispivotally mounted on the elongate support number to permit canting ofthe firearm about a longitudinal axis, in which the legs are removableso that they can be replaced by alternative length legs or trekkingpoles.
 20. A combination of a bipod according to claim 1 and a firearm,the firearm being attached to the bipod.